Episode 9 recap: Ning Yuan Zhou was moved by Ruyi's emotions.

In the ancestral tomb of Anguo, Jia Ling, who served as the Right Commander of the Crimson Guards, was scolded by Deng Hui. She heard Deng Hui say that she was worthless and only wanted to flatter Shangguan. She didn't dare to utter a word of protest and then heard him say that Commander Jiang enjoys this kind of behavior. Jia Ling took the initiative to admit her mistake, and Deng Hui continued to say that women like Jia Ling, who only know how to seduce others, could have achieved great things, but with her scheming, it wouldn't work. He gave her a deadline of seven days to uncover the truth and warned that her position was at stake.

Zhu Ji couldn't understand why Deng Hui disliked the Crimson Guards so much. Jia Ling told her that Deng Hui's mother died at the hands of the White Sparrow, so he harbored a strong aversion towards women. Jia Ling learned that Yue Sanniang might have been murdered, and Ruyi was involved. It made her feel threatened, but she didn't think Ruyi was necessarily responsible. She ordered someone to investigate the details of the Wuguo diplomatic mission.

Li Tong Guang guessed that Jia Ling might be going to Wuguo. Lüli persuaded Li Tong Guang to promote friendly relations between the two countries, suggesting that it might lead to some job opportunities. Li Tong Guang understood that the Emperor wanted him to be idle and would only use him when his guard was down.

Chu Gui Fei became angry when she saw Lüli speaking intimately with Li Tong Guang. The prince standing beside them also noticed their subtle relationship. Master Du invited everyone to eat and drink, and Ruyi told Yang Ying that a good ruler should be in harmony with the people. Ning Yuan Zhou was very grateful to Ruyi for teaching Yang Ying so much.

Ning Yuan Zhou felt a slight discomfort when he saw Yu Shi San being close to Ruyi. Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Yu Shi San took the stage to perform. Everyone also wanted to see Ruyi's performance, so she generously went up to dance with Yu Shi San. Ning Yuan Zhou pretended to be unconcerned below, but he felt a twinge of jealousy.

Yuan Lu appeared, and everyone was concerned about him and tried to stop him from drinking. Ruyi secretly brought him wine, knowing that Yuan Lu didn't like being taken care of. Yuan Lu felt that someone finally understood him. He saw through Ruyi's attempt to make Ning Yuan Zhou jealous with her gentleness, but he believed it was futile. He told Ruyi that Ning Yuan Zhou couldn't stand it when others treated him well and that he liked sweet things.

Ruyi understood the underlying message and pulled Ning Yuan Zhou to dance.

Yang Ying couldn't understand why Ruyi wouldn't let her ride horses. Ruyi smiled and told Yang Ying that it required strong waist strength. The Emperor asked Chu Gui Fei what her eldest brother's daughter's name was and wanted to arrange a marriage for Chu Yue. Chu Gui Fei was happy to find out who the prospective groom was, but when she heard it was Li Tong Guang, she suppressed her sadness. She believed that Li Tong Guang would definitely marry Chu Yue, and this would be a win-win situation for him.

Upon arriving at the Taoran Inn, they saw refugees everywhere. Yang Ying felt sorry for the displaced people on the road. Ning Yuan Zhou told Yang Ying that their current efforts were just temporary relief, and the real goal was to save the Emperor. Ning Yuan Zhou handed Sun Lang a jade token and asked him to seek help from the local magistrate to rescue the refugees.

Ruyi continued to teach Yang Ying about etiquette, and Yang Ying earnestly learned from her. Ruyi took Yang Ying's place in providing aid to the refugees. She made a secret gesture when no one was paying attention, suspecting that someone was following them. It turned out to be Ning Yuan Zhou. Ruyi conveniently handed him a carving knife, which startled Ning Yuan Zhou and made him blush.

Ruyi suggested that Ning Yuan Zhou sit down and let her explain the details of the incident involving Zhaojie Consort. Ning Yuan Zhou felt a bit uneasy as Ruyi kept looking at him. He remained composed on the surface, but deep down, his emotions were turbulent. Ruyi and Ning Yuan Zhou rarely had the opportunity to be alone together, and they enjoyed their conversation.

Ruyi found it strange that despite their high status in the Six Dao Hall and the Crimson Guards, they had never met before, or perhaps they had met but didn't recognize each other. Ning Yuan Zhou suddenly produced a bouquet of flowers for Ruyi and said it was a return gift. At that moment, someone approached Ruyi, and she turned around to protect Ning Yuan Zhou, saying that even strong individuals occasionally needed protection. This made Ning Yuan Zhou happy, and Ruyi happily reminisced about the days when the Consort was still alive. Ning Yuan Zhou also recalled how he and his brothers had met.

As Ruyi was leaving, Ning Yuan Zhou called out to her, and she turned to look at him.